The Melivia Chronicles: Coming Out
by Melivia
Summary: Melinda's heart races as she sees her eleven year old daughter standing in her office.


I own nothing: L&O SVU

Pairing: Olivia/Melinda

Main Characters: Olivia, Melinda and Ophelia (Ophee)

"**Coming Out"**

Olivia and Melinda had been dating for three months. They'd kept their relationship discreet because Melinda had not told Richard, her ex-husband, yet. Melinda didn't know how he'd react to her being in a real relationship with a woman. She's been out on dates with other women and slept with a few since her divorce, but this was her first relationship since divorcing Richard.

"Liv, wake up" Melinda quietly says as she gives Olivia a nudge. When Olivia stays over at Melinda's, she always leaves before Ophelia wakes up. Ophelia doesn't know her mother's a lesbian and Melinda would like to keep it that way for the time being. "Liv, it's 4am" Melinda says.

"Okay…okay, I'm up" a sleepy Olivia says. Olivia gets out of bed and goes into the bathroom. She throws cold water on her face and then brushes her teeth. "Do you want to have lunch together?" Olivia asked while putting on her sweats.

"Umm, I was going to work through lunch today. I'm a little behind on my paperwork" Melinda says.

"Oh, okay. Well, give me a call if you change your mind."

"Okay, I will" Melinda said. She walks Olivia to the front door, cups Olivia's face and passionately kisses her lover. "I love you" she says to Olivia.

"Love you too" Olivia says before leaving.

It's now 1pm at the precinct. Elliot and Munch are out chasing the perp down who beat and raped an elderly woman. Fin is on the phone and Olivia is daydreaming about life with Melinda.

"Damn" Fin says as he slams the phone down.

"What's up Fin?" Olivia asks.

"It's Ken, he won't let me help him out with his college tuition." Ken's relationship with his father has improved over the years but they're still not at the point of having a close father and son relationship.

"Fin, give him time. He'll come around" Olivia says.

"Liv, how much time does he need? I've apologized for not being there when he was a kid."

"Fin, it's going to take some time. Don't push him, he'll come around."

Okay" Fin says.

"So, what's going on between you and Melinda?" Fin asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. I see how you two look at each other."

"There's nothing going on" Olivia says. She really wanted to tell Fin, she's involved with Melinda but she promised Melinda she wouldn't say a word to anyone about their relationship.

"I just thought you two were an item" says Fin.

"Oh" Olivia says.

Elliot and Munch enter the precinct with the perp in handcuffs and take him to one of the interrogation rooms. Olivia gets up and puts on her jacket.

"Hey, where're you going?" Fin asked.

"I need to check something out, I'll be right back" Olivia says.

Olivia heads out the precinct to Melinda's office. On her way, she stops by a florist shop and picks up a dozen of red roses. Meanwhile Richard's cell phone rings. It's Ophelia's school calling, after eating lunch she became sick. Richard called Melinda's phone and left a message that he was picking up Ophelia from school and bringing her to Melinda's office.

Olivia reaches Melinda's office building. She goes down into the basement and through the double doors and knocks on Melinda's office door.

"Come in" the soft voice said.

"Hey" Olivia says softly as she entered her lover's office with one hand behind her back.

"I'm glad to see you" Melinda said with a smile on her face. "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh yeah" says Olivia.

"Yeah" Melinda said, as she moved from behind her desk. "What're you hiding behind your back?"

"Oh, nothing…just a couple of roses" Olivia said as she removed the roses from behind her back.

"Aww, for me?" a surprised Melinda says.

"Yeah baby, just for you" says Olivia.

Melinda takes the roses and places them on her desk. She then turns around and passionately kisses her lover.

Richard and Ophelia reach Melinda's office building. He lets Ophelia out while he finds a place to park in the parking garage. Ophelia walks down to her mother's office. Melinda and Olivia are still kissing one another. Ophelia walks through the double door unheard and over to her mother's office. She opens Melinda's office door and sees her mother kissing Olivia.

"Mom"

"Oh GOD" Melinda says, as she breaks the kiss. Melinda's heart starts to race as she sees her eleven year old daughter standing in her office.

"Mom, what's going on?" Ophelia asked curiously. "Why were you kissing Detective Benson?"

"Wh-what...I..I..I mean, what are you doing here?" a nervous Melinda asked her daughter.

"Mom, answer the question. Why were you kissing Detective Benson?" Ophelia said as tears begin to form in her eyes.

"I think it would be best if I leave" Olivia says.

"No, you're not going anywhere" Ophelia says to Olivia, which causes Olivia to raise her eyebrows.

"I want to know what the HECK is going on between you and my mom?" Ophelia says to Olivia.

Just then, Richard walks in. "Hey Melinda" he says. "Did you get the message I left you? Ophee got sick after lunch so, I picked her up. I hope it's no problem bringing her here."

The room went quiet, so quiet you could hear a tear drop. Melinda didn't say a word, she was too afraid Ophelia was going to tell Richard what she just witnessed. Richard looks at Melinda, Olivia and then Ophelia. He sees tears in his daughter's eyes.

"Ophee" he says concerned, "What is it baby? Why are you upset?"

Melinda's heart begins to pound fast, it feels like it's about to jump out of her chest. _"Oh God, please Ophee, please don't say anything" _Melinda frantically thought to herself.

"Ophee, did you hear me?" Richard said.

"Yeah dad, I heard you" Ophelia replied.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Richard asked his daughter.

Ophelia stared at her mother and she could see the fear in Melinda's eyes. She wanted to tell her father what she just walked in on but instead she covered for her mother. "It's my stomach again, that's all" Ophelia tells her father. She sees the relief in her mother's eyes, it was like her eyes were saying, _thank you_.

"Well, thank God we got you to your mother. Maybe she can work her magic tricks and get it to stop hurting" says Richard. "Okay, I've got to run. Melinda don't forget, It's my turn next weekend" he says, reminding her that it's Ophelia's time with him. "Nice seeing you again Detective Benson." Richard said before leaving.

"Mel, umm, I've gotta get back to the precinct" Olivia says.

"Okay, I'll walk you out" says Melinda.

Olivia turns and looks at Ophelia, "Nice seeing you Ophelia."

"I can't say the same" Ophelia replied.

Melinda walked Olivia out the building. "Mel, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know…the only thing I can do… tell her the truth. It's just…It's…I didn't want her to find out like this. I wanted to tell her but only when the time was right." Melinda takes a deep breath and exhales, "Now, I'm afraid if she tells Richard, I may lose her."

"What? Why?" says Olivia.

"Richard knows I'm a lesbian but he doesn't want that kind of lifestyle around Ophelia. He told me, he'd sue for full custody before he let his daughter live with two women."

"Oh, I see" Olivia says.

"Well, I've got to head back downstairs and try explaining this to Ophee. I'll call you later" Melinda said and then gives Olivia a kiss on the cheek.

Olivia heads to the precinct as Melinda went back into her office. Ophelia was sitting in a chair in the corner of the office.

"So, are you going to ignore the fact I caught you kissing Detective Benson?" Ophelia said to Melinda.

"Ophee, we're not going to discuss it here" Melinda said while putting on her coat. "Lets go home, so we can talk about it."

Melinda and Ophelia left the office. The twenty-five minute drive home was quiet. Melinda would glance over at Ophelia but the eleven year old just stared out the passenger window.

"Would you like to stop by Baskin-Robbins?" Melinda asked her daughter.

Ophelia didn't respond. Melinda knew her daughter was upset, so she kept driving. When they reached the apartment, Ophelia put her backpack in her room and then sat on the couch in the living room.

"Well" she says to her mother, "I'm waiting."

Melinda walks over to the couch and takes a seat next to her daughter. She inhales deeply and slowly exhales before starting.

"Ophee, I didn't want you to find out like this" Melinda said.

"Find out what?" Opehial asked.

"No matter what I tell you from here, I want you to know I'm your mother and I love you very much."

"Okay" says Ophelia.

"You know, your father and I divorced a few years ago, right?"

"Yes"

"Well, the reason we got a divorce was the fact, I wasn't happy with your father. I married him for all the wrong reasons and after two years of marriage I wanted a divorce but I found out I was pregnant with you, so I stuck around. I married Richard because I didn't want to face the fact who I really was deep inside of me and I wanted to please everyone around me."

"What do you mean?" Ophelia asked her mother.

"I did some soul searching and realized I had to face reality. I didn't want to live a lie anymore. You see…" Melinda said as she held her daughter's hand. "I'm attracted to women." Melinda held her breath waiting for her daughter to respond. Ophelia said nothing, she just stared at her mother with this confusing look on her face. "I've always known I was attracted to women, it's just, I didn't want to believe it. Once reality hit me in the face and I couldn't deny it any longer, I told your father. I also told him, I wanted a divorce."

"So, you're like, what…a lesbian now?" Ophelia asked her mother.

"Yes, I'm a lesbian" Melinda replied.

"And Detective Benson…she's your girlfriend?"

"Yes, Olivia and I are involved"

"Involved how?" Ophelia asked.

"Well" Melinda says, "We love each other."

"Oh" Ophelia says. "So, why did you feel you had to hide it from me?"

"Well…for starters, I didn't know how I was going to explain it to you. And two, I didn't want your father to find out."

"I thought you said, you told dad you liked women?"

"I did" replied Melinda. "If your father finds out I'm involved in a serious relationship with a woman, he's going to sue me for full custody. He doesn't want you to be raised in a homosexual environment."

"Mom, it's not the 1950s anymore" Ophelia says. "I know two kids at my school whose parents are gay."

"Really" Melinda says.

"Really" Ophelia says. "Besides, it's not that bad being a lesbian. Heck, Ellen's a lesbian and everybody likes her."

"Ellen?" Melinda says.

"Yeah, you know, the TV Talk Show Host."

Melinda starts to laugh. "So, are you going to tell me how you really feel?" Melinda asked her daughter.

"It's going to take some time getting use to the fact, you're a lesbian and seeing you with a woman. But, I love you mom and you don't have to worry about me telling dad."

"Thanks baby" Melinda says.

Melinda goes into the kitchen to start dinner while Ophelia lie down in her bedroom. The door bell rings and Melinda answers it. "Olivia…I'm surprised to see you."

"Mel, can we talk?" Olivia says.

"Sure, come in" Melinda says as she steps aside letting Olivia into the apartment. "Hey, Ophee and I talked and I think she's going to be okay with it. I mean we're going to have to give her some time to adjust but I think it's going to be alright."

"No Mel, it's not going to be alright" Olivia says.

"Wh-what do you mean, I don't understand" Melinda says.

"Mel, if your Ex finds out about us, you could lose your daughter and I'm not willing to let that happen" Olivia tells her.

"Don't worry, we'll be careful. Ophee's not going to tell her father."

"What happens a year from now or maybe two? Do you think I want to live alone for the rest of my life?"

"Liv, you won't, we'll have each other?" Melinda says.

"Yeah, but we won't be able to live together or we'd have to put on a act around your Ex."

"Yeah, but…" Melinda says.

"But what, Mel?"

"Liv, I love you"

"I love you too and that's why this is so hard for me to do" Olivia says with tears in her eyes.

"What's so hard to do?"

"It's over, Mel. You and I…we're through" Olivia says and starts to walk out the apartment.

Melinda grabs a hold of Olivia's hand. "Liv, don't go, please. I love you."

"Mel, I can't do this. I would be the cause of you losing your daughter."

"Liv, don't do this, please, don't" Melinda stands there with tears trailing down her face.

Olivia looks her lover in the eyes, wanting so much to take her in the bedroom and make love to her. She leans into Melinda, kissing her passionately. Olivia breaks the kiss, "Goodbye my love" she says and walks out the apartment. Melinda cries as she walks back to the couch. She crying so hard, she's unaware of her daughter standing in the hallway.

Over the next several days, Melinda tries to put all her energy into her work. A week has passed by now and she's called Olivia several times but only gets the voicemail. Ophelia has noticed the change in her mother's attitude.

"Mom" Ophelia says at the dinner table. "Are you going to eat?"

"I've lost my appetite" says Melinda.

Ophelia didn't like seeing her mother this way. The last time she saw her mother this sad was a few years ago, when Melinda was still married to Richard.

The next morning Melinda dropped Ophelia off to school. Ophelia pretended to go into the building and when her mother drove off, she ran down the street and caught the bus to the 16th police precinct.

"May I help you?" Munch says.

"Yeah, umm…I'm looking for Detective Benson" Ophelia says.

"Is there something, I can help you with?"

"No, I just need to speak with Detective Benson."

Munch goes and knocks on the door where Olivia and Fin were interrogating a perp.

"What is it Munch?" Fin says.

"Liv, someone's here to see you?" Munch says.

"Who is it?" Olivia asked.

"I don't know she looks about ten to twelve years old."

"Go ahead Liv, I've got this" Fin tells her.

Olivia walks back to her desk and sees Ophelia standing there.

"Ophelia, what's wrong honey? Where's Melinda? Is everything alright?" a concerned Olivia asked.

"No, everything's a mess" Ophelia said crying.

"Come here sweetie" Olivia said, guiding Ophelia to an empty office. "Have a seat. Would you like a soda?"

Olivia gave Ophelia a Pepsi and sat next to the girl. "What's going on?" Olivia asked.

"Its mom" Ophelia replied. "She's sad all the time and it's because you dumped her."

"You wouldn't understand" Olivia softly tells the eleven year old. "You're just too young to understand."

"But, I do understand. I know my mom loves you and I know you love her. So, why can't you two be together?"

"Ophelia" Olivia says, brushing the girls' hair back from her face with her hand. "It's not that easy. And I shouldn't be having this conversation with you."

"Why not?" Ophelia replied. "It's because of me you dumped my mom, isn't it?"

"Who told you that?" asked Olivia.

"I was there the day you came over to our apartment and I saw and heard everything" Ophelia says. "Detective Bensons…"

"Please, call me Olivia"

"Okay…Ms. Olivia, I've never seen my mom so happy until a few months ago and it's because of you. She was never happy with my dad, she was always sad. She loves you very much and she wants to be with you. I hate seeing my mom sad, that's why I'm here. She deserves to be happy and so do you."

"Well, I think I better get you back to school" Olivia says.

"Are you going to talk to my mom?"Ophelia asked Olivia.

"Yeah, I'll give her a call" Olivia says.

Olivia drove Ophelia to school and then headed back to the precinct. Around 9pm that night Melinda's door bell rings. She opened the door and was thrilled to see Olivia standing there.

"Liv…umm, come in."

Olivia walked in, sat on the couch and Melinda sat next to her.

"Liv…" Melinda started out saying before being cut off by Olivia.

"Mel, let me do the talking"

"Okay" Melinda agreed.

"Mel, I love you and I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either" Melinda says.

"Mel"

"Okay, I'll zip it" Melinda says.

"I know your daughter means the world to you and it would kill you to lose her. So, if taking it slow and being extra careful is what we need to do then I'll do it. If you want me to put on an act in front of Richard, I'll do that too."

"There's no need" Melinda says.

"Huh" Olivia replied.

"Richard stopped by the office today and wanted to talk about my relationship with you" says Melinda.

"What? How did he find out?" Olivia asked.

"Ophelia told him. Apparently she stopped by his office after school and told him, we were in love. She also told him, if he tried to sue for full custody of her, she would never forgive him. Richard doesn't agree with my lifestyle but he loves his daughter and her happiness is all he wants. So, he's willing to except me being in a relationship with a woman, even sharing the same household with a woman as long as Ophelia is happy."

"Wow" Olivia says, "Ophelia really knows her way around the city. She came to see me too, you know."

"Really, what did you two talk about" Melinda asked.

"She just told me, she wants you to be happy that all."

Melinda closes in the space between her and Olivia. "You know what would make me feel really happy?" Melinda says.

"Tell me" says Olivia.

"You making love to me" Melinda says and then kisses Olivia.

Melinda breaks the kiss and takes Olivia by the hand and leads Olivia into the bedroom. A few minutes later, Ophelia is wakened to the sound of her mother moans.

"Yes…yes…Olivia, I love you so much"

"I love you too baby" say Olivia.

Ophelia sits up in her bed, _"Are they doing what I think they're doing?"_ she thinks to herself.

"Oh, Olivia…it feels so good" her mother moans out.

Ophelia pounds on the bedroom wall "Hey you two, keep it down in there" she says.

She hears the laughter coming from the other side of the wall_. "Now, that's what I'm talking about. Mom's finally happy again"_ she thought to herself as a smile acrossed her face. Ophelia gets her iPod out and puts on her headphones, she gets under the covers and listens to music while drifting off to sleep.


End file.
